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Tech team hacks Tesla Model X through web browser for good, not evil

Remotely opening doors and messing with brakes were both possible

July 31, 2017

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It's always a headache for an automaker when a hacking vulnerability is discovered in a particular car, but at least in some cases it happens in a controlled environment and a responsible manner. A team from Keen Security Lab, an arm of the Chinese internet company Tencent, successfully hacked a Tesla Model S last year and now they've discovered a few more vulnerabilities in the Model X crossover that could have been exploited by some "self-employed" hackers in need of fast cash (it's fortunate Tencent is already a major stakeholder in Tesla).

Aside from being able to activate the brakes remotely, the team from Keen Security Lab was able to get the ungainly crossover's trunk and doors to open and close by gaining remote access to the car through its web browser. From a potential car burglar's standpoint, the latter achievement is more useful, but the complexity of the hack probably makes using a hammer to break windows a much simpler option; the difficulty level was described by the team of well-meaning hackers as "not easily duplicated."

Cybersecurity researchers said they took control of a Tesla Motors Inc. Model S car and turned it off at low speed, one of six significant flaws they found that could allow hackers to take control of ...

Can hackers do this to your Model X? Not anymore -- Keen Security Lab informed Tesla of the vulnerabilities in June, with the automaker issuing a patch just two weeks later via an over-the-air update to the car's software.

The moral of the story, once again, is that given enough time and enough connected tech in a given car, a team of experienced computer experts can make the car do things remotely. The ability to activate a car's brakes remotely is the more jarring discovery, and for car companies this sort of vulnerability is a much bigger concern since it affects a vehicle's safety on the road if teams of malicious hackers want to cause havoc.